Terry Gross

The health care analyst and substance abuse expert was LBJ's assistant for domestic affairs from 1959-65 and Secretary for Health, Education and Welfare under Jimmy Carter from 1977-79. He has written a book about health care reform called "Radical Surgery," and is president of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, a research and experimental care facility at Columbia University. Terry will be talking to him about health care reform, welfare reform and substance abuse.

Journalist Dennis Covington has written a new book about the practice of snake handling in a Southern Appalachian church. Practitioners use snake handling as a kind of anointing -- a belief that the Holy Spirit comes down to protect them from fear and danger in handling the poisonous snakes. Covington's book, Salvation on Sand Mountain, is both a journalistic endeavor and an exploration of his own faith.

Redgrave appeared in over 50 films, including "Morgan!", "Blow Up", "Julia" and "Howards End". Her stage work has included Shakespeare, Chekhov, Noel Coward and Tennessee Williams. She comes from a celebrated theater family, and her daughters are both actresses. Redgrave is also well known for her political activism, including support for Nuclear Disarmament and Palestinian causes. Her memoirs have just been published by Random House.

Along with directors Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford, Schepisi he was considered one of the leaders of the "Australian New Wave." His film, "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith," was the first Australian film ever accepted in competition in the Cannes Film Festival, and his first film distributed in the U.S. He went on to direct "Plenty," "Roxanne," "A Cry in the Dark," "The Russia House," and "Six Degrees of Separation." His latest film "I.Q." stars Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, and Walter Matthau.

From the new documentary "Twitch and Shout," the associate producer/narrator Lowell Handler. Lowel Handler is a photojournalist and has Tourette's Syndrome. The film is about people with TS. Handler has traveled the world photographing people, and developed a photojournalism story for Life Magazines.

The two actors co-wrote and co-starred in the 1981 film, "My Dinner with Andre." They have since worked on many other projects individually in television, theater, and film. They have now collaborated again in "Vanya on 42nd Street," a film adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." (Rebroadcast)

Shawn played himself opposite co-star Andre Gregory in the Louis Malle film "My Dinner with Andre." We replay an excerpt from Terry's 1985 interview with him.

Terry discusses the recent murder of abortion doctors with Dr. Susan Wicklund, who provides abortion services; National Director of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue Reverend, Flip Benham; and Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, Pat Mahoney.

Journalist Verlyn Klinkenbor's article "Violent Certainties" appears in this month's edition of Harper's Magazine. He reports from a Milwaukee abortion clinic from the perspectives of both abortion providers and protestors.

We'll hear from Jason DeParle. He covers anti-poverty policy for the New York Times. With the new Congress in session, a major debate over America's social welfare policy is expected. DeParle talks about what proposals we're likely to see from the Republicans and from the Clinton Administration, and how these might affect women and African Americans in particular.